Gordon Food Service stores may have received beef subject to recall in E. coli investigation

A truck pulls away from the dock at Wolverine Packing Company in Detroit on May 19, 2014. Officials say the Detroit-based business is recalling about 1.8 million pounds of ground beef products sold for restaurant and retail use nationwide that may be contaminated with the bacteria E. coli. AP Photo

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Gordon Food Service Marketplace Stores is one of the retailers that may have received tainted ground beef, according to a list released Wednesday, May 21, by the U.S. Food and Safety Inspection Service.

The USDA agency named retailers in nine states that may have received meat that is being recalled because it could be contaminated with a deadly strain of E. coli bacteria.

The retail distribution list for the ground beef includes GFS Marketplace stores run by the Grand Rapids-based food service distributor. The stores are in nine states: Michigan, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Also on the list is a store in Orleans, east of Belding, the M-66 General Store at 5900 N. State Road.

The USDA said the list may not include all stores that received the recalled beef. As the investigation continues, more stores may be added. Also, some stores on the list may not have actually received the recalled product.

Consumers who have packages of ground beef in their refrigerator or freezer are advised to look at the labels for the production date code to see if the meat has been recalled. The recalled meat has the code EST 2574B and has a production date between March 31, 2014 and April 18, 2014 (03 31 14 – 04 18 14). The meat should be returned to the store, health officials say.

The USDA said meat is being removed from store shelves, according to a report by CNN.

Two West Michigan residents - in Kent and Ottawa counties - were among five people in Michigan who became ill from E. coli 0157 after eating undercooked hamburger in a restaurant. No deaths have been reported.

The meat being recalled was shipped nationwide for retail and restaurant use, the USDA said.

The other retail stores named by the Food Safety and Inspection Service are: